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Blue Iguana

tc5000 Apr 16, 2004 03:51 PM

I do not have an Iguana, I mostly keep Monitors and Tegus but I thought you folks here might like these pictures. I took the pictures on my honeymoon to Grand Cayman last week. I was told they are the most endangered Cyclura. The 65 acre park where they run the breading program and the run wild is very nice. This picture is one of the tagged and released males.

Link

Replies (7)

tc5000 Apr 16, 2004 03:53 PM

He was at least 4.5ft long.

jiffypop Apr 16, 2004 07:31 PM

It's encouraging that you were able to see some, probably in Queen Elizabeth Botanical Park. The conservation efforts for these lizards is a very worthwhile cause. My male hybrid was an ambassador for the species earlier this month at the Chicago Herp Society's Reptile Fest, where they host a conservation table. I hope his presence helped them raise a few more dollars. Even tho Azul is a hybrid he looks very similar to a pure lewisi Cyclura and is just now, at 6 years old, coming into his amazing blue coloration.
Sam n Ella, your Cuban is a close cousin. The Cyclura species each inhabit a different West Indian island. Cubans (nubila), as the name implies, are from Cuba. The lewisi are only found on Grand Cayman while the Rhinos (cornuta) are found on the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Here is an informative website where you can find more information about all of the Cyclura species.

ISG

Sam-N-Ella Apr 16, 2004 04:28 PM

He is gorgeous. Looks like my cuban rock iguana except for the color. I wonder if that is what my guy would look like if he were in the wild.

tc5000 Apr 16, 2004 05:16 PM

You know it is funny the yearlings had stripes similar to yours without the crest running down their back. Apparently some time around 1-2 years they loose the stripes and start to turn more blue. I took these pictures on a cloudy day and they don’t do his color justice. I am told the Blue is only native to Cayman.

This is a female, kinda looks like yours cithout the crest.

PHFaust Apr 16, 2004 06:54 PM

You are correct. Grand Caymen Blues (Cyclura Lewisii) are among the most endangered. I actually regularly help raise money for them and have even designed a T-Shirt for them. A wonderful website to learn more about iguana species and conservation efforts is listed below. Also membership in the International Iguana Society is very helpful.

Sam-n-Ella, Jiffy has some cubans. She has a lot of experience with them. Grand Caymens do not retain their stripes. I have a female hybrid. She is lesser Caymen and Grand Caymen which are a naturally occuring hybrid. I have attached an older pic of her so you can see what she looked like last year She is starting now to turn blue in the head area and begining to lose her stripes.

Cyclura.com Iguana conservation issues.

-----
Cindy
PHFaust

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Sam-N-Ella Apr 16, 2004 09:55 PM

I have seen some pictures of them. Jiffy has helped me greatly with my new cuban.

Sam-N-Ella Apr 16, 2004 10:47 PM

Will cuban iguanas loose their stripes as they get older?

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